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The Makai Competition of Unneeded Superiority/The Debating Table
(Fandom original series logo) (We see Shinki, doing a load of paperwork) Shinki (reading what she writes): ...right now, we have eleven contestants competing for superiority, a picture of themselves and another, hidden prize. Two are from Nohr, three are from Jambastion, two are from Gensokyo, two are from the Cookie Kingdom and two are from... (eerie silence) Shinki: ...wait... (puts her pencil to one side) Why am I doing paperwork? I'm a god! (Oichi enters) Oichi: Shinki? Shinki: Oichi! I was just about to call you! (hands all of her paperwork to Oichi) Here, I have some paperwork for you to do... Oichi: Okay... thank you, Shin- (Oichi, while walking away, crashes into Tamara Knight, who is also carrying loads of paperwork, causing them to drop all of their paper) Tamara: Oichi? Oichi: Tamara! I-I'm so sorry... Tamara: All is forgiven. (Oichi and Tamara pick up the paperwork on the floor, then go their separate ways) Shinki: Uh, your paperwork... (Shinki realises that the two are out of sight) Shinki: ...oh. (Meanwhile, Cynthia is seen in front of the contestants, who are writing works of fiction) Flora (reading what she writes): "It's okay, he thought. I'll take this one step at a time. That way, I won't have to worry about falling into the ice... Felicia (reading what she writes): "Could it be true? he thought. Could I really be a dragon-monster in a human vessel?" (Cynthia is shown looking nervously at the clock levitating behind her. Suddenly, Shinki enters the scene.) Shinki: Pencils down, everyone! Cynthia: Shinki? It's not time for the next challenge yet... Shinki: I know that. I just have a good idea on what to do next. Cynthia: They've only spent five minutes writing. The timetable says that they should spend thirty minutes writing, after which they'll move on to the mathematics challenge... Shinki: Well, I say that the timetable can go to the netherworld. Cynthia: You hired me to make the timetable, didn't you? That makes my job quite worthless... Shinki: Trust me, this is only a small change. We're going to spend the next twenty five minutes in a debate on the history of wool. Cynthia: Why? The writing segment is one of the most important parts of the competition! Shinki: They can do the rest of the writing later. Cynthia: But they have two weeks to write a whole novel! Shinki: How does that matter? Everyone, follow me to... (cut to the debating table. Shinki is sitting at one end, Yumeko is sitting opposite to her, and Mikoto and Cynthia are sitting facing each other.) Shinki: ...the debating table. Yumeko: Shinki, how many people does the debating table have room for? Shinki: Twenty. Yumeko: Perfect. We have twenty people, counting all the participants and staff... and Ginger... (all of the others take their seats at the table. Yatsuhashi and Benben in particular are playing their instruments. Raiko, looking visibly annoyed, gets out of her seat and steals Benben's biwa) Raiko: I'll take this. Benben: Hey, that's mine! (Raiko goes to Yatsuhashi and steals her koto) Raiko: Need this. Yatsuhashi: Give that back! (Raiko goes back to her seat, giving the biwa and koto to Shinki) Shinki: Thank you, Raiko. (clears throat) "The story of wool began long ago, before recorded history when primitive man first clothed himself in the woolly skins, of the wild sheep he killed for food..." Tamara: Objection, your honour. Where is this from? Shinki: It's my voice. Tamara: Yes, but is what you're saying taken from an external source? Shinki: Yes, from Seven Sisters Sheep Centre. Tamara: Well, personally, I think that you shouldn't borrow from external sources. Oichi: I second that. (eerie silence. Shinki puts her paper away.) Shinki: Okay. Going off what I did say, what can you gather? Flora: That people of ancient times hunted sheep. Shinki: For what purpose? Felicia: For food, and because their wool could be used as clothing. Shinki: So, what properties does wool have? Francisca: Well, it's very easy to dye... Partizanne: They didn't have dye in ancient times. Francisca: Quite right, Partizanne. Flamberge: What did they have in ancient times, then? Partizanne: Not much, I would say. Francisca: I second that. Flamberge: So, what properties do you think wool has? Cyrus: Well, it's known to give protection from heat and cold... Ophilia: It's also a way of protecting one from wind and rain. Yumeko: No other material in nature can match its good qualities. Shinki: I second that. Wool truly is an amazing thing... Mikoto: Hold on. I have something to say... Shinki: Yes, Mikoto? Mikoto: A lot of people think that "wool" refers to cotton wool, don't they? Benben: Indeed they do. Yatsuhashi: I second that! Mikoto: Well, what Shinki said has made me think. Did people originally use wool in a state similar to cotton wool? Cynthia: They must have, since I'm fairly certain that looms didn't exist back in the day. Tamara: Objection. Even before 10000 BCE, wool was spun to make cloth. Raiko: Where's your proof, Tamara? Tamara: I read through the page on Seven Sisters Sheep Centre after hearing what Shinki said. Raiko: But did you quote that page? Tamara: No, I did not. Raiko: Good. (Tamara then goes to look at her paperwork, but seems confused by it) Tamara: (This is rather strange... it looks like the kind of paperwork Oichi would do...) (meanwhile, Oichi is seen visibly confused as she looks at her paperwork) Oichi: (What kind of paperwork is this? It looks better suited to a lawyer than to a secretary...) Ophilia: So, how did they spin wool to make cloth? Cyrus: I believe that they took the wool in one hand and twisted it into a thread with the other hand. Ophilia: This was before the loom, I take it? Cyrus: Of course. Herb: Now, how would you make a cloth from that yarn? Ginger: You'd have to get a lot of yarn, then arrange it in a criss-cross! Herb: That wouldn't guarantee a neat pattern. Ginger: You could always cut it with scissors to make it neat. Herb: Scissors didn't exist until the Bronze Age. Ginger: ...oh. Then, I suppose they'd just use pointed rocks as a substitute. (meanwhile, Tamara is carefully analysing her papers) Tamara: (I'm sure of what happened. I bet that when I crashed into Oichi, we switched papers...) (Tamara stands up, walking over to Oichi) Tamara: Oichi? Oichi: Yes, Tamara? Tamara: I have a funny feeling that we may have switched papers. Here... (Oichi and Tamara swap their papers.) Oichi: Thank you. Tamara: No problem. (Tamara returns to her seat) Flora: So nowadays, when a sheep's wool is gathered, one spins it into yarn with a spinning wheel, then uses a loom to weave the spun yarn. Felicia: I believe that the loom was invented in ancient times. Flora: Where's your proof, sister? Felicia: I remember reading about it some time in the past... Yumeko: (How painstakingly convenient that so many people read up on the history of wool... of all things...) Francisca: I've heard a rumour that, for a time, raw wool was more valuable than woollen fabrics. Flamberge: Why might that be? Partizanne: Raw wool has more use than fabric, technically speaking. You can make the wool into yarn to make your own fabrics, or use the wool on its own as a decoration. Flamberge: Sounds logical. Francisca: I second that. Yumeko: Shinki, I have something that I'd like to bring up... wool dying. Shinki: Why would you like to mention it? Yumeko: Because without wool dying, we wouldn't have coloured clothing. Benben: Well, in China, dyeing has dated back to more than 5000 years ago... Yatsuhashi: Hey, aren't most products made in China? Benben: Yes, they are, Yatsuhashi- Yatsuhashi: So it makes sense why dyeing has dated back so far in China. Cyrus: Hang on. Dyeing has dated back to 34000 BCE... Ophilia: Can you be certain of that? Cyrus: Yes. The earliest dyed fibres have been found in a prehistoric cave in the Republic of Georgia... Ophilia: The Republic of Georgia? I've never heard of such a place... Raiko: It must be a country in the outside world. Shinki: Alright, so we've established that coloured clothes have existed for over thirty thousand years. Yumeko: Just from knowing that the earliest dyed fibres have been found that long ago? Shinki: Yes. That's all the evidence I need. Yumeko: For all we know, those dyed fibres could have not been used for anything! Tamara: Objection, your honour. Yumeko is being non-civil. Oichi: I second that. Shinki: (sighs) Yumeko, we can't have a good debate without love and peace. Yumeko: Well, peace is certainly a good thing, but why is love important? This is a debate, not a speed dating programme. Shinki: It's just a figure of speech. Besides, how can we make a speed dating programme if most of the people here are straight females? Yumeko: I'd have to abduct a load of suitable boys... Shinki: Please don't do that, Yumeko. Your trickery has gone too far already. (clears throat) As for our next item... (Mikoto raises a hand) Shinki: ...Mikoto? Mikoto: I'd say that we've had quite enough of this debate. Cynthia: She's right. I'm not sure what else there is to talk about... Raiko: I second that. This debate is getting boring fast... (more complaints from the others) Shinki: Alright. This debate is adjourned. Tamara: Objection, your honour. This suggests that you have the intention to continue the debate later... Shinki: Well, I- (complaining from the others) Shinki: Okay. Correction - this debate is finished. Everyone, you may go back to writing your stories. (the contestants exit the scene) Oichi: ...hmm? Ginger: What is it, Oichi? Oichi: Some of this paperwork... it looks like it belongs to Tamara... (Tamara gasps) Tamara: Oh, no! We didn't successfully swap all of our paperwork! (Tamara goes up to Oichi) Tamara: Now, which bits of paperwork do you think belong to me? (quiet talking from Oichi and Tamara as the others leave the scene) (credits play) Category:The Makai Competition of Unneeded Superiority